Robyn adds some FLAIR to her Blog!

Coming Soon!

Time Capsule

As I was cleaning up some files on my computer I came across my journals and thought it might be interesting to post some entries of the children's early educational experiences mixed with their current ones. This first one is from 1998 and Alexandra would have been six years old and Fox had just turned one.

12 September 98

While Alex and Rob are out having their “Daddy-Daughter Day” at the Outdoor Fair in Imlay City, I thought I’d steal a moment for an update. Last month we had a psychologist friend of my mother’s run a few standardized tests on Alex to get some base-line information on her skill levels. She scored in the Very Superior and High Average range on everything. Her lowest scores were in Numerical Operations, Math Reasoning and Spelling but she was still above average for her age. Her best score was in Humanities and Reading Comprehension, both near a 5th grade level. I’m starting to concentrate slightly more on Math without being too pushy. When she’s ready she’ll be a little math wizard, she just needs a project to apply it to, and with us moving to this new property there will be plenty of projects! She has just recently taken initiative to write words on her own and I’m confident spelling will be steadily improving.

She is now on her sixth chapter book! I bought a series through mail-order of the Baby-sitters Club Little Sister books and Alex absolutely adores them. She couldn’t wait for the next shipment. She had finished the last of the first four books and two days later new ones were here! She always reads on our way down to practice, dance or art class.

We went and checked out the Mt. Clemens Railroad Museum and learned more about Thomas Edison. And we’ve started reading biographies about Henry Ford. Next month I’d like to go to the Henry Ford Museum as a field trip. Last week we visited the Robot Zoo at Cranbrook and investigated their new Nature Place. Fox had as much fun as Alex seeing all the animal replicates.

Our study of Mexico has brought on an interest in learning Spanish and we’ve been listening to tapes and playing Spanish ‘Go Fish’ in addition to reading books and viewing videos about Mexico and its celebrations. This year we are going to celebrate the Day of the Dead and make some authentic crafts. We also learned about Spanish artist, Diego Rivera and next weekend when we go to the DIA for the ‘Angels of the Vatican’ exhibit we’re going to see the mural he painted there and some other Mexican artifacts.

Wednesday on my Own

This morning when I peeked out the door to get a weather check before taking Alex down to the bus I noticed this crazy bright moon out over the garage, grabbed the camera that was on some strange setting and took a quick pic, the result was this cool effect. When I set it up normally the shot wasn't nearly so intriguing. So, how am I doing, home alone all day long? It's different, I'm easing into it, did some rearranging, a little writing, some napping, a relaxing bath. Chickens are now my chore in the morning after I put the boys on the bus, as a walk toward the coop I always call out "hello, girls. how's all the ladies today?" and I always thank them for the eggs, is that kooky? I've gotten two eggs a day! Fox wasn't bringing in any lately. I don't think he was thanking them.

The boys are doing well, of course, Ethan came home and graced us with the ageless, "Chinese, Japanese, dirty knees, look at these!" last night at dinner. For crying out loud, kids still do that one, that's as old as dirt! Talk about comedy that stands the test of time. Fox has also been given a crash course on the rumor mill but doesn't seem to get to concerned with it. It's really just a fascinating phenomena. I told him when he runs for Class President he can run on the platform to "End Gossip!" we had a few good laugh about that senario.

As you can see on my side bar I am registered for Script Frenzy 2009. I think I'm going to work on a stage play but I really don't know the topic yet. Any suggestions?

First Day Report

Fox's Take: It was impressive, there were different subjects where I was behind or ahead. Like I am ahead in English but way behind in band. I especially like band and playing chess during Free Time. Math was right on my level with mixed numbers and graphs, it was kind of easy but not super easy. Recess was a bummer because they wouldn't let us use the swings because of mud.

Ben's Thoughts: Today's special was gym, we played mat ball, you kick the ball when a guy throws it and if they catch it you're out and you try to get to three mats then home, like baseball. Other guys can throw the ball and tag you out. It's very much like baseball. We did a test for our 3, 4, and 5 multiplications tables, I finished just in the nick of time. I did over 400 pages of reading for reading month after school at the library today. We talked about our pets, recess was good.

Ethan's Report: We did math, reading and gym. In gym we played mat ball like Ben did and had to do some silly chipmunk exercise tape. I hated it! Everybody kept calling me the new guy and Jesse protected me out on the playground during recess. Tomorrow we do library for our special!

Off They Go!

One last hug....

Here comes the bus....

And off they go!

They all wanted to ride the bus home after school too today so we will have to take off right from there to get down to Rochester for gymnastics, they won't even get off the bus until 4:45pm and Ethan's practice starts at 5:45pm so we'll probably be late. Normally I will get them from school on Rochester nights. I will post all of their reports tomorrow.....stay tuned.

Weekly Walk #4

For this week's walk we motored down Kings Mill Road to the public state land. This time it was just Robert and I so we could go at a little quicker pace and also have some time to conversate without little ears listening. It was a very brown afternoon and when we started there was a light misty rain.

It was very quiet and peaceful, the rain actually made the world feel reigned in and smaller somehow, like a hug from nature. No one else was on the trails so we had the place all to ourselves other than the few squirrels that were scurrying about. Some interesting finds were a small casing from some kind of seed pod or nut, an odd bubbling coming out from some ice sheets at various points along the path, a cute little evergreen type ground cover I had never noticed before, and a bunch of marble pieces that we found under the huge party tree. We also noticed a lot of trash by the boat launch which prompted us to make a mental note about bringing some trash bags and the boys down there with us next time to do some good samaritan duty.

By the time we were heading back to the car it was a steady down-pouring of rain and getting colder. My dogs were starting to hurt since I didn't wear the right kind of socks and they were rubbing on my feet something terrible so I wanted to conclude the walk before blisters started. If we had dressed better we could have hiked on for many more hours. So far we've walked in a snow storm, muddy muck, and now rain, all to make the adventure more interesting. After we got back to the house we both changed then loaded the kids up to go out the the New China Buffet for a late lunch in honor of our anniversary.

Until next time....

T.G.I.F.

With all the school stuff on my mind I totally forgot about Friday Fill-Ins so here's my own.

1) Today was our last homeschool co-op and I feel fine about it.
2) Alex is having fun at Hope College for Model U.N. and I am glad about that.
3) Just signed Ethan up for baseball and his games will be on Tuesday/Friday so we won't have to mess with the gymnastics schedule so we are feeling very blessed about that.
4) Rob, myself and all the kids (even the teenager) will be home this weekend, first time in forever!

5) Ben is looking forward to playing spring soccer.

6) I've been feeling better than I have in a long time.
7) And for the weekend, tonight, I'm chill-axing with the family, tomorrow my plans include our weekly walk & celebrating our 17th anniversary, and Sunday I look forward to washing the children's feet at church, and later going out to eat with my husband and kids.

Why God Made Moms

Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's mom like me.

What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friends.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter, then she would know it was my sister who did it not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

Final Project for Intro Art 3D

This is Alex's final project for her Intro Art 3D Class. I must admit it is one of the most inspired projects she has created in some time. Really she hasn't worked this hard on anything art related since we'd been involved with 4-H. Lately my husband and I have been having many issues with Alex regarding a lack of appropriate administration and organization of school assignments thereby resulting in unacceptable progress reports. I realized that part of her failing in this area is definately my fault. Although I oversaw her education for many years at home, once she went into school I did not keep track of her and help set good habits in terms of making sure teachers had indeed received her work and given her credit for it, or guiding her in developing beneficial study habits. She was pretty much left to fend for herself and although she is a very intelligent girl overall, knowing how to study and organize for some people are traits that need to be aquired and then exercised regularly. But honestly at the point where she chose to enter public school I think she had had enough of working with Mom if you know what I mean. She was just done receiving from me and ready to branch out on her own. Perhaps now we both see the forest for the trees and can begin to work in tandem once again. For those of you who have teenagers sometimes you just have to be grateful that they still take time to have a conversation with you because in their hormone-raged minds we don't know squat. As it gets closer to college visits and applying to schools Alex is acknowledging the impending doom of the low GPA. Hers has not been moving in the right direction as the trimesters chug along and admits that it is essentially her own responsibility to ammend it. Thankfully there is still time for redemption and I am hopeful as I begin this adventure with the boys I can also become a better public school parent for Alexandra as well. Just because they are no longer schooling at home doesn't mean my work is done, just shifted. That has been my lesson to learn. Peace to all!

All Systems Are Go!

We headed out on the cold and blustery day yesterday to turn in our school enrollment forms. We were greeted warmly at the Ruth Fox Upper Elementary School by the principal, secretary and counselor to take a tour and meet the ladies slated to be Fox's 6th grade teachers. A lot of information was provided and Fox took all in without much show of emotion. We met the band teachers Mr. & Mrs. Eahart which was very ecouraging and exciting for Fox to know he will be able to have band every day instead of only two days a week which will help him progress at a faster pace with his trumpet. When we got to his classroom to meet Mrs. Mitchell and Mrs. Murphy they were very energetic and upbeat and I like them immediately. Mrs. Wood thought this would be a good environment for Fox because they are a very organized teaching team and help the kids keep track of assignments in their planners which also provided a constant link of communication between parents, students, and teachers. Hoping that there was someone in the class that Fox would already know I was of course looking for boys. Suddenly a young lady called my name and ran up to the classroom door. "Julia! Is this your class!" She nodded, smiling ear to ear. "This is my neighbor Julia," I told the teachers as I hugged her. How cool is that, now Fox will have someone to help him with the initial unloading and loading of the bus and finding his classroom in all that before and after school busyness. I know when I was a kid at school that was some of the most anixous of times, trying to get all your stuff together and not miss the bus. Even though Fox doesn't know Julia well, I thought it was another confirmation that the fates are working with us through this transition.

Next we went back over to the Elm Creek Elementary School. Mrs. Hosner the principal had already given us a tour last week and figured out which classes Ben and Ethan would be in. Both boys have a buddy in their class that they already know from church and baseball. Mrs. Montgomery is the teacher Ethan was assigned to when I had him in school for 3 days in 2007 but then freaked out and pulled him out again. I wasn't ready then to seriously take the plunge, but I am now. It was as if the fates were telling me to finish what I started. Awesome. She is a very strict teacher but the bottom line is academically, she gets results and I've been told prior to this that she is top-notch when it comes to reading, which Ethan tends to be reluctant at. When we came to Mrs. Bodnar's room she took one look at me and said "I know you!" Indeed she did, since we attended the United Methodist Church in town together before we made the move the Faith Christian Family Church. My only concern with Benny was that we hadn't started working on cursive writing yet and I know they usually introduce that in 3rd grade, but Mrs. Bodnar explained they had just started working on it so he really wouldn't be behind at all.

The new facility is absolutely wonderful and I'll post some more photos of the building another time. So, everything is in place and next Monday at 8am they will get on the bus and head off to school. I am getting more excited as the day draws nearer and feel the load lightening as each moment passes. It is truely a blessing to have a school district that is so welcoming to homeschoolers, whether bringing them in, taking them out, or just having them come to the school for certain subjects or specials. The bottom line is they are there to help provide a safe and encouraging educational enviroment for the children of our community and I whole heartedly commend them for all their efforts.

Ecuador

Rob made it back from his trip to South America without complications thankfully and was successful in completing the machine upgrade. Although he is a) not much of a photographer in general and b) oblivious to the photographic implications of blogging, he did find a moment to take a few snaps for me.

These first few are from his hotel window. Quito is at a pretty high elevation and is surrounded by volcanos but it is hard to see them through the clouds. When he first arrived everyone warned him about not eating too much and not over extending himself physically because of the altitude but he said he really did not have any problems acclimating.

This is Juan's yard and house who owns the shop Rob was working at. He was a very gracious host and is most proud of his city and country. In fact an invitation was extended to Rob and myself to come back and visit so he could show us the sites more.

Another shot of Juan's backyard and then the nighttime lights in Quito.

As I said he's not much of a photog. Juan tried to take Rob to the Equator park but unfortunately they arrived as the guard was locking up for the night so they did not get to see the monument that sits on the equator so we'll have to see that on our trip together.

Rob said there was a great juxtiposition throughout the area, from incredible high rises to grossly povertous areas. But because his host was so proud of his town he did not feel right taking pictures of the desolate scenes.

Friday Fill-In

1. I'm filling out school enrollment forms because, I'm putting the boys in school for the last trimester and, I hope my homeschooling friends won't shun me.
2. Why do I have desire and not ambition.
3. How does this teenage parenting thing work, anyway?
4. Every morning, I put clothes on my body.
5. I consider myself lucky because I haven't killed anyone in my various states of hormonal insanity.
6. One day we’ll see if all this was worth it.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to being home after running myself ragged all week, tomorrow my plans include conducting a Worship Arts workshop at Lapeer Community Church and Sunday, I want to see my husband again!

True Story

So Rob is supposed to be in Ecudor by now.

I told him to call when he got to Miami and just let us know he's ok that far because we didn't know if he'd be able to call once he got in Quito.

There was a message from him when we got back from band saying he was at the incredibly insane Miami airport and would board for Quito in about 45 minutes.

By evening I still haven't heard from him that he is there.

I have the number for the hotel but it's been a while since I've called international, I know you need some type of intl code.

So I hit zero on the phone for the operator to ask the international code.

She inquires who my long distance provider is.

I told her Verizon.

"Ok, let me connect you with them and see if they can help you."

Click.

~annoying tones~

-:Recording:-

I'm sorry your call can not be completed as dialed

please hang up and call the operator for assistance.

HA!

I thought that's what I Was DOING!

For the Fun of it!

Ethan likes to make up his own "routines" on the trampoline, this one even has some stellar dance moves thrown in. Check it out & have a giggle.

Weekly Walk #3

This week we were in our own big backyard again. We woke up in the morning seeing the brownish green grass everywhere and by the time everyone was up and ready to roll we had a white covering on the ground again. It was blustery when we first started out as you can see in the top left picture but it soon calmed down. We found a few spots that had total ice underneath so we boot-skated. Rob brought his .22 with him and the boys all took turns shooting as did I. And look who graced us with her presence, the teenager! While we were walking I said to Alex, "as I've been thinking about our years of homeschooling I realized we raised a lot of animals you and I." "Yeah, we did," was her reply. She used to want to be a zoologist and loved working with animals. That was until we showed sheep for 4H -- pretty much killed her love affair with animals right then and there. Ben hearing this conversation chimed in that we never raised a pig before! He wants to auction a pig at Fair.

We'll see.......

**The picture in the middle is the neighbor's property. We thought it looked like some kind of alien crash site with all the snow covering the discarded farm equipment.

Rob will be walking in Ecuador next week,

please wish him traveling mercies

and that he receives divine favor

from the technology gods!

Ben is not yet 10

2-20-2000 Mr. Benjamin Atticus Parton made his entrance into the world. Friday he celebrated his 9th birthday with little pomp and circumstance. The Sunday before we brought cupcakes to the Wii Fellowship to share with the kids. On his actually birthday we had co-op which he found enjoyable then we went to GTC for practice. Fox and Ben got a chance to go in the pit and on the trampoline since it was a pretty mellow day, not all the teams were practicing and those that were had low numbers since the schools in the area were on winter break. He opened a small gift in the morning then when we got back home that night he opened a few more things with dad. Before bed he worked on his new Star Wars Lego kit and playing Wii Monopoly with Ethan and I.

Ben is a very helpful and industrious young man. He loves to assist me in the kitchen and is very good at picking seasonings, cutting, and measuring. Drumming, soccer, and video games are what keep him occupied, although he is starting to read more for information along with the scads of Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts, and Far Side books. Benjamin is so different from the others kids in many ways, my mother's theory is that he's the winter baby, but he is so apt for schedule and structure it wouldn't surprise me if eventually he joins the military.

He actually does very well with the public school setting and likes knowing he is the head of his class. It is very important for him to get everything right and he gets ticked off if he isn't or especially if he doesn't understand why he isn't. Teaching him Math has been an adventure. Once he gets a concept all is well but I always have to pull up the boots straps and take an extra dose of patience whenever it is time to introduce a new concept. I thought long division was going to do us in! Phonics is not his thing, he has no time to sound things out, he just wants to look at the word and know it. Some of his guesses are hilarious at times. His brothers will testify he can be pretty bossy (hence the nickname 'Braticus') but they also know when the chips are down Ben will always be there for them. He is a good brother, a good friend, a loving son, a great athlete, and an awesome person! Happy Birthday, Ben!

Real Life lessons from Bill Gates

Bill Gates gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school.

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!
Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.
Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.
Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.
Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.
Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

Sometimes I feel badly that I can't give my kids everything that other parents can, cell phones, iPods, cars, whatever new gadget is all the rage, designer clothes, etc. But then I think you know what, they can earn it just like I have to. My parents always made sure I had the basics, like a roof over my head, food on the table, and clothes to wear and I even got some bonuses like being able to take dance lessons and got to go to music camp but they really didn't have to do that. I never had a job in high school because I knew once I graduated I would be working for the rest of my life. I moved out the summer after I graduated from high school, got a job and found a room to rent and was on my own. School of hard knocks, baby! Why do we feel compelled as parents to give our kids everything on a silver platter? I think those who really have to claw their way to the top have a better appreciation for their accomplishment and a more solid character.

Wii Fellowship was a Hit!

As Director of Children's Praise & Worship and Sunday School I have taken the position past normal church time and added elements of children's fellowship and outreach. The children and I have gone to Senior Apartments in the area to take them a special treat of songs, sweets and surprises which basically means we sing some uplifting songs, bring refreshments, and give them a child-made gift. And I started organizing times where the kids could fellowship away from regular church. Today's Kids Wii Fellowship started with a kid-friendly lunch of hotdogs, french fries, and peaches followed by some cupcakes in honor of Benjamin's birthday coming up this week and then a few hours of racing games. We had two Wii players set up with 4-player Mario Cart and another set with Hot Wheels on the Gamecube with 3 controllers. Everyone did a great job taking turns, playing fairly and making some crafts while they waited. I couldn't have pulled it off without the assistance of some awesome parents and youth that helped with serving, technical issues, settling the masses, and cleaning up, so a fabulous time was had by all.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

Lillies are white,

and snow is too!

Sorry, I live in Michigan and all I can see out the window right now is snow!

Have a happy day with the ones you love everyone.

Blessings,

~Byn

Friday Fill-In

1. Follow the yellow brick road.
2. Lots of deep sighs is something I always take with me on vacation.
3. To achieve your goals, you must make some tough choices sometimes.
4. My love of dark chocolate is something I'd like you to know about me.
5. I have a long life ahead of me.
6. Hope floats.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to hanging with the moms and hopefully bringing her back home from the hospital, tomorrow my plans include a Valentine’s date with my husband and Sunday, I want to have an awesome Kids Wii Fellowship!

For Everything There is a Season

My oldest child, my daughter, was home-schooled from Kindergarten through 8th Grade. My approach was pretty laid back; she did a lot of learning by osmosis. Weekly trips to the library, hours of educational computer ‘games’ (she started using the computer at age 2), frequent visits to nature centers, and participation in many physical activities such as gymnastics and creative movement kept us plenty busy. I never followed a set curriculum but instead used mostly workbooks purchased from the local bookstore (when we did do book work). She mastered keyboarding skills using the Disney Typing Program and in her older years studied various computer design programs (Photoshop, Macromedia Director, Frontpage, etc.). In the tween years she jumped into the world of RPG (role-playing-games) online and started creating her own sites. She entered her writing in several contests, even winning a few, and she became involved in drama at the Flint Youth Theatre. At the age of 6 she was hand picked from a class to play the youngest role of, Ima Dean, in “Where the Lilies Bloom,” to which she received rave reviews. At one point she was a member of no less than five different 4H groups (at one time) and we raised many animals here at Kings Mill Meadows with Alexandra doing a lion’s share of the work. During the younger years teaching from home was great and I wouldn’t trade that time together for the world, but honestly as she got older she became bored and as a mother of a growing family I was not doing the best in keeping up with her need for social entertainment and intellectual stimulation. She wanted to be around kids her own age more, although we did join a home-school co-op she did not quite feel she fit in with the kids there. Her impression was they were sort of geeky. When she first came to me, actually it was during a phone call, and admitted she thought it was time for her to go into public school it was a real blow to my ego. When people would ask me how long we were going to home-school I always replied “to the end” and added that I planned to have her start taking community college classes at 15. But something inside me said ‘you need to respect her choice and have the courage to let her follow through on this decision because if you force the issue and make her stay home and continue to learn from here it will be a big bone of contention between you and you’ll make utterly no progress at all.’ Alex explained to me she did not feel comfortable jumping into formal education at the college level and wanted to have some experience in a formal setting before then. So, should I look at the situation as “giving up” by deciding to put her in public high school? Did I “give in” to the desire of a teenager, throwing aside parental desires? No. I respected my daughter’s opinion, discussed it with her and my husband at length, prayed, and ultimately choose to let her have responsibility in the decisions regarding her own education. There were issues concerning the “influence” of her peers at first, but thankfully she has a good head on her shoulders and has kept her morals and standards in tact. She has made good friends and is a good friend. Grade-wise she struggles in some classes but it is more a matter of taking on so many activities she gets spread too thin (hmm wonder where she gets that from). Would she have done better if she was in the school system from the start, probably not. I tested well above average on standard achievement tests during my academic career but my grades were all over the place depending on whether or not I enjoyed the subject matter or teacher and Alexandra has pretty much followed suit there. When I ask her now will she home-school her own kids she replies emphatically, “No.” Further prompting as to why she’ll explain it is just too much work and she doesn’t want to take that on, she wants to work a regular job. Oddly, what she is talking about being currently is a high school drama/literature teacher. Go figure.

Thankfully we have the freedom to choose how our children are educated. There is no cut and dried, right and wrong answer. One size, does not fit all and it saddens me when home-schooling mothers, especially Christian home-schoolers, condemn the public/private school and public/private school students/teachers. They speak so negatively about it their children are scared to come and have an honest conversation with them about possibly wanting to try regular school. While I think it is wonderful to cast off convention, be a free spirit, an innovative thinker, and self-starter, there will come a time in every person’s life that they need to “get with the program” whether it is in college, trade school, or an employment situation. They will need to learn how to get along with others, deal with different personalities, take a stand when necessary or just shut their mouth and do what the boss asks. In either arena there are those that do exceptionally well raising the standards for all that follow and some who fall far short of expectations. I could tell you stories about home-schoolers that are totally unprepared for life in the real world, over sheltered, and never held accountable and other tales about some that have gone above and beyond what one would imagine any teenager could possibly accomplish. The same scenarios can be applied to “government schooled” kids. The bottom line is, as a parent we want the best for our babies and sometimes that means making tough choices and hoping for the best.

Learning from home has been an awesome experience overall, but I also lean on the expectation that public schooling will be a positive undertaking for my family and myself. Everything won’t be roses and gumdrops but I trust I’ve laid a solid foundation for my boys, as I did Alexandra, and I pray they will have inspiring teachers, be exceptional students, make good friends, be influential leaders in their class, and take full advantage of all opportunities that will allow them to accomplish all they dream to. No, I am most certainly not giving up, I’m going on. For everything there is a season.

Prayer Request

My mother Judi has been dealing with some health issues lately

and had surgery last Thursday. Although the surgery went well

she ended up back in the hospital via E.R. on Tuesday

due to an infection at the incision sites.

Please pray for her as the Lord directs,

I do not want to get into naming any type of disease

because I believe she is healed in the name of Jesus.

Thank you for your prayers.

Weekly Walk #2

This week we walked mid-week instead of during the weekend. Since my in-laws are in Florida (shout out to Genny and Wendell!), Rob has been meeting me at their house on Wednesday night and staying with Fox and Ben while Ethan and I are at the gym. Our theme this time was a walk down memory lane, as we went over to Leach Rd. where Rob and I lived when we were first married.



The boys came with us on this venture and as you can see it was a muddy one. Of course they didn't have a problem with it and delighted in slopping around and throwing rocks and sticks at things while Rob stopped to talk with Mrs. Gromer, an old neighbor who is still there amongst all the industrial businesses that have taken over the street.


We showed them gramma's old house where we lived. It has definately seen better days. When I was pregnant with Alex we walked this street many times and at the dead end there was railroad tracks and fields so we would walk the tracks and talk about the new baby. Well, the tracks are gone making way for the "rails to trails" project and it is now part of the Clinton River Trail. The dead end is gone and it opens up to the well traveled Adams Rd. complete with shopping mecca.





We reached the end of the street just about the time most businesses were letting out of work and who did we run into? Cousin Jeff! Even though it rained most of the morning it had stopped for a few hours and just as we got back to the house it started to rain again. Now that's what I call perfect timing!



See you on the next walk,
who knows what the weather

in Michigan will be by then!

More Just for Fun

Sometimes the boys get bored with the same old thing at practice and get a little whiny, during stretches especially, but Coach Brandon is really good about changing things up a bit to make it fun. Usually the boys have to do 3 bridges at the end of stretches and we get a lot of floppy bodies, heads on the floor, feet sliding, and just plain weak efforts. So one day he had them make a bridge tunnel to crawl through, talk about sneaky, now instead of the normal three bridges they ended up doing nine, one for each team member and one for coach!

Mud Never Seemed So Lovely

Aaaahhh. Just having the temperature rise feels like a weight has been lifted off me. Attitudes lighten, smiles abound and life just seems easier when the weather is warmer. Suddenly all my tasks are tolerable, and energy is recharged. Ok, so my driveway is a big sloppy mess of mud but even that isn't bothering me today. "This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Middle School Tour

Today we had an appointment with Ms. Sue Shoemaker who is the counselor at the North Branch Middle School. She took us for a tour of the building and explained some of the general expections for students. Here Fox is checking out the Media Center and talking with Ms. Shoemaker in the Art Room. He was glad to find out that he will be able to participate in Band and Art classes. In the past students had to choose one or the other, but because of the new trimester system they can fit more classes in. They have an amazing computer lab and the new addition is awesome. Below, Fox and Ms. Shoemaker go over the daily schedule for 7th graders.

Fox's take: I found the tour interesting and I really can't wait to be able to take advantage of the computer lab and art classes. I'm also excited about getting a locker. Part of me would like to jump right in and get started today but I think it might be awkward to come after the year has already started. I think it will be easy to transition from homeschool to regular school, the schedule won't be much different from the schedule at co-op except it will be much more informative. Now, I am really looking forward to September but also I'll enjoy my last few months of freedom.

Weekly Walk #1

Since Rob and I do not have very much time together during the week, he had an idea that we should make a pact to go on a weekly walk, somewhere, even it it's just around our own backyard. So this weekend we hiked the backyard trails looking for signs of spring.

Saw lots of deer tracks and of course Jake was pleased as punch to have somebody roam the trails with him. We have a lot of clean up to do since many old trees have fallen due to the crazy winter winds we get.

25 Things My Mother Taught Me

It's a thankless job but somebody's got to do it. Here's a shout out to mothers everywhere who have brought this collection of tried and true wisdom through the wringer and back again!

My mother taught me:

1. TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.

"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. RELIGION.

"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. ABOUT TIME TRAVEL .

"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. LOGIC.

"Because I said so, that's why."

5. AND MORE LOGIC .

"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6. FORESIGHT.

"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. IRONY

"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. OSMOSIS.

"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. CONTORTIONISM .

"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck?"

10. STAMINA.

"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. ABOUT WEATHER.

"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12. ABOUT HYPOCRISY.

"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

13. THE CIRCLE OF LIFE .

"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

14. BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.

"Stop acting like your father!"

15. ENVY.

"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

16. ANTICIPATION.

"Just wait until we get home."

17. RECEIVING .

"You are going to get it when you get home!"

18. MEDICAL SCIENCE.

"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

19. ESP.

"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

20. HUMOR.

"When that lawn mower cuts off your foot, don't come running to me."

21. HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT .

"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22. GENETICS.
"You're just like your father."

23. ABOUT MY ROOTS.

"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

24. WISDOM.

"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

25. and most importantly JUSTICE

"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you."

** taken from email forward, original author unknown.

Sunshiny Saturday!

What a fabulous sunny Saturday, although it is a bit windy out there. The temperature has risen from the barely above zero figures we had been getting, reaching around the 40 degree mark. Whenever the weather makes drastic ebbs and flows I can't help but to ponder the ebbs and flows in our own lives. The hots and colds, highs and lows, beginnings and ends, right turns, and left behinds. I've always admired "stay the course" people, those who remain at a job for 30+ years, married for decades, or live in a house until they pay off the mortgage. My kindred spirit seems to take issue with stay the course, not to say that I have no longevity whatsoever. I just need to do something different and break out of the old rut when I feel like I'm getting in one. Sometimes the only thing I can do is rearrange the funiture in my house, but just that change will make me feel better. I've gone through many phases and changes thus far in my life as I begin to creep up onto middle age. I plan to live until my 112th birthday so I'm not even at midway yet! But I am excited for change, in the seasons, economy, country, for my children, my marriage, my community, for those who need hope, and those that are ready to take advantage of opportunity. Hearing about all the loss of jobs, houses, etc. people have this attitude of an end, but we need to look at this transition as a time of new beginnings. A chance to look for new options, shift to a different gear, and function with fresh knowledge and competence.

Friday Fill-In

1. My favorite food seasoning is dry mustard & thyme.

2. The snow plow is music to my ears.

3. Lucky is as lucky does.

4. Comedy is something I take very seriously.

5. Many people are short like me.

6. Fix-a-Flat was the last thing I bought at the store.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to visiting my mother who is healed in the name of Jesus, tomorrow my plans include something as yet undetermined and Sunday, I want to relax!

Just for fun

One of the exercises for preparing the boys to work on the pomel horse is to do "bucket circles". Here Ethan shows his stuff. More team photos to come.

Time on My Side

There are times in our lives when we are extremely productive, driven, unstoppable even and there are others when we must slow down, recollect, take some time to smell the roses. Which is more difficult, to take time or to give time? Depends on your personality I suppose. Over the last few years my time has been steadily monopolized by commitments to varying degrees, which is in contrast to my many years living in a care-free time zone not having to be anywhere for days on end therefore affording me the luxury of taking the days at a much more relaxed pace as I went about the tasks of teaching kids, working in the garden, caring for animals, doing my editorial work and just all the regular domestic chores. But now I never have enough hours in the day! I want more hours back.

One of my concerns putting the boys in school was having to pull Ethan out early several days a week so we can make it down to the gym by 4pm. Right now I work Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the gym coaching, starting at 4pm. Our elementary schools don't even get out of school until 4:05pm. But as I stepped back and asked Him for grace with the principal it suddenly hit me. The reason I need to be at GTC by 4pm is to coach, Ethan doesn't actually practice until 5:45pm. Well, if I didn't coach that early team then he could finish the school day, I'll pick him up and we'll head down to practice. I just need to trust that whatever finances needed to cover tuition will be provided by His riches and glory! I can still coach my Super Mites and earn money toward Ethan's tuition though. Cool, time restraint solved.

PEACE, Be Still!

Today we sailed away on the Sea of Galilee but luckily we had Jesus sleeping in the back of the boat to wake and calm the stormy sea! During our Seeds of Jesus Children's Church time the lesson was about Mark 4:35-41 and how the disciples were learning to trust in Jesus. For 13-weeks we are working our way through the Journey with Jesus program from Gospel Light (http://www.gospellight.com/) visiting a town that Jesus ministered in each week. We kick off each Sunday with a drama. This week instead of having the workers present the drama, the kids were the drama, as discliples that loaded on the boat to "cross to the other side" as Jesus directed. The room was dark the lights flashed and the sounds of a sea storm filled the room. The kids of course screamed in terror and delight as the storm raged on. Run to the back of the boat and wake Jesus up I yelled to one of the children, or surely we shall perish! Jesus rose calmed the sea and scolded us for having such little faith. "Again, again!" the children chanted. So we did the drama again, then Jesus prayed for our time together and we continued with our lessons.

Reflection of this drama compared with the transitions in my own life made me realize that I am at a time to let Him calm my stormy sea. There is no peace in all my busyness. Overseeing so many different things has made me a boat on unstable waters. In addition to having the children enter school I have the compulsion to NOT BE IN CHARGE of, or coordinate anything for 1-year. I am not to lead anything only to follow and seek HIS directing. Simplicity is the key.

35 On the same day, when evening had come,

He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”

36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was.

And other little boats were also with Him.

37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.

38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow.

And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea,

“Peace, be still!”

And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.

40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”

41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another,

“Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

Mark 4:35-41 (NKJV)